Meriam Mir, also written Miriam, is the language of the Eastern Torres Strait Islands. The source records it as a member of the Eastern Trans-Fly family, which sets it apart from the language spoken on the other islands of the strait, which betrays a mix of Melanesian and Aboriginal linguistic elements. The Torres Strait Islanders are an Indigenous Australian people of the islands between Australia and New Guinea, and Meriam Mir is the speech of the eastern islands within that region, kept distinct from the western island language by its family affiliation.
Facts
Speaker Count Connections
In Family
Source Encyclopedia.com: Torres Strait Islanders
In the Other Atlases
Cases Where Used
Also in Society and Culture Atlas: used in this subject.
Source Wikipedia: Torres Strait IslandersLeadQuote, Lead
Kalaw Lagaw Ya and Meriam Mir comprise the two main Indigenous language groups; Yumplatok is also widely spoken as a language of trade and commerce.
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Glottolog: Glottolog languoid page: MeriamCountriesQuote, Countries
Australia [AU]
Sources
1. Meriam language (Wikipedia)
CensusQuote, Census
In the 2016 Australian census, 217 speakers were recorded, up slightly on the previous (2011) census, which recorded 186.
Encyclopedia.com: Torres Strait Islanders
In Family: Eastern Trans-Fly, Language sectionQuote, In Family: Eastern Trans-Fly, Language section
Meriam Mir (or Miriam), the Language of the Eastern Torres Strait Islands, is a member of the Eastern Trans-Fly Family.
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